- More than 70% of British pub owner worry their businesses won't survive the winter.
- Nearly two-thirds of operators have seen energy costs double, at the minimum.
The landscape for the traditional British pub may look strikingly different come spring.
Earlier this week, The Guardian reported on a survey by the trade publication the Morning Advertiser that showed that more than 70% of respondents say they will be unable to afford the continued rise in energy prices.
According to the survey, pub owners reported that some energy suppliers won't offer because of their concern that pubs won't be able to pay the bill. More than 35% of operators reported that their utility costs have doubled, while 30% have seen costs triple, the Guardian reported.
This concern has dovetailed with a move by Britain's independent brewers to write a letter to the chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, urging the government to step in, saying that soaring energy prices are being compounded by a fall in sales as households seek to save money as well as shortages of equipment like kegs, cans and carbon dioxide.
A poor hop harvest also has driven up prices, according to the Guardian's reporting of the letter.
Brewers and pub operators are specifically asking for reductions in VAT and business rates, caps on energy prices for small businesses, and grants for renewable technology.
Heath Ball, a managing director of the Frisco Group, which operates three pubs in England, told the Guardian that pubs were facing a "doomsday scenario."
Unfortunately, the upcoming winter follows a historically hot and dry summer. A recent report from the EU's Joint Research Center showed that in early August, 47% of Europe experienced drought "warning" conditions and 17% lived under "alert" conditions.